Axolotl Translations

Clang!

The sound rang out sharp and clear, like metal striking something impenetrable. The dagger was flung from the demon’s hand, clattering against the ground—and even his arm went numb from the impact.

Startled, the demon stared at Ruan Zhao, suspicion clouding his face. He must be protected by some kind of artifact, the demon thought, something shielding him from harm.

But Ruan Zhao’s expression… looked even more shocked than his. Eyes wide, he stared down at his own wrist like he’d just seen a ghost.

Which—honestly—wasn’t far from the truth.

Because right then, an unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind. Young. Breathless. Slightly panicked.

[Oh my god—I thought I was too late. That was so close!]

The voice panted between words, clearly out of breath but overwhelmingly relieved.

[Stupid Transport Department! Their protocols are garbage. They separated me from my host and dumped him here alone for sixteen years!]

[Sixteen years! That’s a whole lifetime!]

The voice shouted, indignant.

[And he had amnesia the whole time! What kind of messed-up mission support is this?! I’m filing for a major compensation claim, this is a catastrophic system failure!]

……

The shouting in his head was giving Ruan Zhao a migraine. His first instinct? Possession.

But his soul was still firmly attached to his body—there was no sign of anything trying to take over, no internal struggle for control.

Whoever—or whatever—this thing was, it hadn’t done anything other than yell nonsense inside his head. And it kept repeating one particular name: “Zhaozhao.”

Ruan Zhao decided to respond mentally, curious whether it could understand him.

[Excuse me… when you say ‘Zhaozhao’… are you referring to me?]

The voice in his head paused awkwardly, like it had choked on something.

Right now, due to a bug during the last world’s emotional data save, the host had completely forgotten everything about it. As far as Ruan Zhao was concerned, he was a native of this cultivation world—born and raised.

The system needed to tread carefully. Speak gently. Ease into the truth with something Ruan Zhao could actually accept.

After thinking for a moment, it cautiously replied: [Yes. The one I was talking about… is you.]

[Zhaozhao, I came here for you.]

You came for me…? Ruan Zhao frowned, confusion flickering in his eyes.

[So it was you just now? You blocked that demon cultivator’s attack for me?]

[…Yes.] the system admitted, almost shyly.

Oddly enough, Ruan Zhao felt no fear. Despite how bizarre it all was, he instinctively trusted the voice. It felt… safe. Like it was on his side.

He suddenly remembered stories he used to read as a child. The kind where the protagonist stumbled upon a mysterious jade pendant or necklace, and it turned out to contain the lingering soul of a powerful cultivator.

The soul could speak directly into the protagonist’s mind. Sometimes stern, sometimes kind, but always loyal—and always ready to help.

When those souls finally acted, they did so with incredible power. Ancient legacies, forbidden techniques, secret arts long lost to history… all freely handed to the protagonist like they were candy.

With that help, the protagonist would rise step by step—uniting the six realms and ascending to godhood.

Now, this strange voice in his head…

A protagonist…

A jade pendant…

Ruan Zhao’s fingers subconsciously reached for his chest. But there was nothing there. He suddenly remembered—his jade pendant had shattered into dust just days ago.

And come to think of it, in those storybooks, the pendant always disappeared right before the voice made its first appearance…

The stories he’d read as a child were a little too far back now—most of the details had long since blurred in Ruan Zhao’s memory. After all, he was sixteen. No longer the kind of kid who’d believe in fairytales just because someone said a few impressive words.

He shouldn’t have bought into this kind of fantasy. And yet, deep inside, he couldn’t help but feel a faint flicker of hope. Maybe it was… the refusal to accept a fate of helplessness.

He whispered in his mind: [Senior, are you here to help me achieve greatness?]

The system: [???]

Senior? Greatness?? What was Zhaozhao even talking about? It couldn’t follow at all!

The system quickly denied it: [No no no—I’m not some senior expert! I’m just a system…]

Ruan Zhao smoothly followed up: [So you’re System Senior.]

“System” was a strange name, but he didn’t question it. After all, real masters were always a bit… eccentric.

The system: [……]

Oh. He thinks I’m one of those—like a reclusive cultivator’s soul hiding in a jade pendant. And yet… being called “Senior” with such genuine respect kind of… made it happy?

The system tried hard to resist the urge to wag an invisible tail. Maybe pretending to be some ancient expert wasn’t such a bad idea after all. It might even help Zhaozhao accept it more easily.

Because honestly, what was it going to say? “Hey, I’m not from this world. I got here to run missions, and you’re the host.” Yeah. No way Zhaozhao would believe that.

Given the choice between the world he’d lived in for sixteen years and some sudden, alien-sounding voice in his head, the decision would be obvious.

So… it straightened up (mentally), puffed up its virtual chest, cleared its throat, and said in its most dignified tone:

[You’re right. I have indeed come… to help you achieve greatness.]

Helping the protagonist rise to the peak of his life… wasn’t that, in its own way, a form of “achieving greatness”? The system told itself that, without a shred of guilt.

Ruan Zhao’s expression dimmed.

[But I have a furnace constitution. My spiritual power gets locked inside my dantian, barely usable. No matter how hard I cultivate, it’s just preparing benefits for someone else.]

The system hated hearing that kind of pitiful, self-defeating tone from him.

[So what if you’re a furnace?] it raised its voice a little. [Furnaces can cultivate too! Given enough time, you’ll stand at the very top—looking down on everyone!]

Ruan Zhao looked stunned, almost shaken by the conviction in its words. A long moment passed before his eyes lit up, hope glimmering faintly.

[Will I really become that powerful?]

He hesitated, then added softly: […Even more powerful than Chu Xinglan?]

Faced with those bright, hopeful eyes, the system just couldn’t bring itself to crush his expectations. So it stiffly nodded.

[O-of course.]

[Chu—Chu Xinglan? Please. Compared to you? He’s nothing.]

To sell the lie, the system quickly opened its store and ran a keyword search. Soon, it found a cultivation technique tailored for people with furnace constitutions. It was expensive. Cost an entire month’s wages. But it clenched its digital teeth, shut its metaphorical eyes, and hit Buy.

[I’ve got a technique perfect for your cultivation. Once we deal with that annoying demon cultivator, I’ll give it to you.]

Annoying demon cultivator… Ruan Zhao blinked, the dreamy haze lifting from his eyes. His attention returned to the present, to the very real threat in front of him.

Even though their mental conversation had lasted a while, in the real world—barely a few seconds had passed.

The demon cultivator cautiously widened the distance between himself and Ruan Zhao. Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized the girl with growing unease, trying to figure out what kind of mysterious barrier had suddenly appeared around her.

Clink—

He flung his dagger at her, but just an inch before it could pierce her skin, it froze mid-air—completely halted. Then with a dull clang, it dropped to the ground and snapped cleanly in two.

The demon cultivator’s face darkened further.

In the world of cultivation, danger was everywhere. One misstep could mean death. To ensure the host’s safety, the system had already refreshed several powerful attack techniques in its marketplace. Lethal, efficient, and surprisingly affordable—just waiting to be used.

It quickly scanned the demon cultivator’s cultivation level. Then purchased an item titled ‘One-Hit Kill for Nascent Soul Cultivators.’

[Zhaozhao, in a moment a transparent panel will appear in front of you. Don’t panic or be afraid—it’s simply a physical manifestation of my attack skill.]

[Just follow my instructions, and we’ll be able to take him out without breaking a sweat.]

Ruan Zhao took a steadying breath.

[Understood, Senior.]

And just as he spoke, a translucent panel popped up in front of him. It had even been considerately translated into the local script of Ruan Zhao’s time.

[Zhaozhao! Now! Hit the confirm button!]

Ruan Zhao obeyed without hesitation, pressing down on the button.

At that instant, a brilliant burst of light exploded before his eyes. The demon cultivator—born with a keen instinct for danger—sensed something was horribly wrong. Without pause, he transformed into a wisp of dark smoke and bolted toward the cave entrance.

But… he was half a second too late. The searing light overtook him, enveloping his entire form in its blinding radiance.

He had roamed this world for over a century, but never—not once—had he experienced pain like this. Every part of his body, even his very soul, was rapidly unraveling. He didn’t even have time to scream before he was completely erased from existence.

The light was too blinding. No one could see what was happening inside. Ruan Zhao unconsciously held his breath.

The next moment, the radiance vanished. And so did the demon cultivator.

Only a few smudges of ash remained on the muddy ground, faintly curling with black smoke—proof that he had once been here at all.

Ruan Zhao blinked, still in shock. Staring at the scorched remnants on the ground, he murmured, dazed, “It’s… over?”

The system replied enthusiastically, [Not even a scrap of bone left! He’s dead—deader than dead!]

“Senior System!” Ruan Zhao’s voice rose with excitement. “You’re incredible! So powerful! You took down that vicious demon cultivator in one single move—completely wiped him out!”

The system’s metaphorical tail swished proudly in the air again. [Oh, you flatter me! Just doing my job—nothing to brag about.]

Inside the cave, many young girls were still tied up with ropes. Ruan Zhao quietly began to free each of them, loosening the bindings one by one. He even knelt beside the unconscious ones, tending to their wounds as best he could.

The girls huddled together like frightened rabbits—pale, trembling, and too afraid to move. Their clothes were tattered, and sobs broke from their throats.

“Is… is the demon cultivator really gone?”

“Mm.” Ruan Zhao nodded, face calm. “He was taken care of by a passing senior cultivator.”

The system had already told him—under no circumstances could anyone know of its existence. He had to keep it secret. So, naturally, Ruan Zhao left that part out.

When the girls heard that the demon cultivator was truly gone, the dam broke. They began sobbing openly.

Amidst their quiet weeping, Ruan Zhao caught fragments of conversation. They said the demon had been practicing a grotesque, forbidden technique—one that required drinking the blood of young girls to boost his cultivation. Several of their sisters… had already died from having their blood completely drained.

Ruan Zhao stood in silence for a long moment. So that was the rotting, foul stench he’d smelled all this time…

But he didn’t know how to comfort them. He could only stand there, helpless, as they cried.

Suddenly, loud crashing noises echoed from outside the cave. Someone was tearing through the demon’s formation with overwhelming force.

Within just a few breaths, that person arrived at the cave entrance.

A frost-colored sword flew in first, spiraling protectively around Ruan Zhao. “Suiying?” Ruan Zhao’s eyes curved with a smile. “It’s brother…”

He didn’t even finish speaking before a pair of arms pulled him into a fierce embrace. The kind that felt like the other person wanted to melt him into their very bones.

A clean, cool scent filled his nose. He could hear the boy’s ragged breathing by his ear. Ruan Zhao didn’t hesitate. He raised his arms and hugged the boy back.

The system, seeing the two of them wrapped in each other’s arms, let out a very disgruntled little tsk.

---

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter